1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clothes washing machine, and more specifically to a wash plate therefor having fins and triangular protrusions positioned along its surface to distribute wash liquid and clothes evenly and enhance washability.
2. Description of the Related Art
The general construction of clothes washers is well known in the art. A common type of washing machine is the vertical axis washer having an agitator and incorporating a submersion process. An imperforate tub is mounted in a perforated wash basket for receiving clothing and the tub is filled with a wash liquid of detergent and water. An oscillating agitator imparts mechanical energy to the submerged clothing.
There have been advances in agitator washers improving the overall energy efficiency such as the vertical axis washer described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,627 (Cur et al.) that uses less energy and water through an improved wash process.
Additionally, since a relatively large amount of water is used to submerge the clothes in an agitator washer, alternate clothes washers have been developed that do not require a conventional agitator. One type of agitatorless washer that does not require complete submersion of clothes is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,955 (Mueller). The washer in this patent has a wash basket disposed within a tub and rotatable about a vertical axis. A bottom plate is disposed within the lower portion of the wash basket and is mounted for a wobbling motion. This wobbly motion within the tub agitates and distributes the clothes during washing.
Furthermore, clothes washers range from those not having a wash plate to those having a wash plate that enhances washability. For example, the washer described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,802,356 (Kirby) does not have a wash plate or agitator. Instead, the wash basket is mounted for providing a wobbly motion within the tub. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,380 (Lim et al.), the pulsator, or wash plate, is designed with a plurality of radial ribs to cause a vortex flow within the rotatable tub. The ribs have axial holes to pass air bubbles to the tub. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,167 (Wyatt et al.), a wash plate having a clothes deflector is described. This wash plate is designed to seal the wash plate against the wash basket.
For clothes washers having a wash plate, it is desirable to have one that increases washability and reduces twisting and damaging of the clothes.